Blackbird
by ffSL
Summary: Hermione and Draco are both having problems with their lives. What will they do to solve these problems when they end up running away from everything they've ever known?
1. Chapter 1

"Blackbird" (Partially inspired by the song by John Lennon and Paul McCartney)  
  
Chapter 1  
  
Hermione stood next to Professor McGonagall in unbelieving shock. The delight that had spread over her face only a moment or so beforehand was now nowhere to be seen as a deep scowl replaced it. Across from her, stood the potions master, Professor Snape, and her least favorite person of all time, Draco Malfoy. Malfoy didn't seem particularly pleased with the arrangements either, though he didn't let that interfere with the permanent smirk etched on his face.  
  
"We hope that this year will be enjoyable for both of you," continued Professor McGonagall, hiding the fact that she knew very well how happy either of the two students were actually going to be during their long school year as Head Boy and Girl. "And that you will find it in your hearts not to murder each other during it. Your password is 'Stag.' Good night." Then, without another word, she spun on her heels and walked down the hall with the continually silent Professor Snape.  
  
Without bothering to speak to the Head Boy next to her, Hermione briskly turned back to the painting of the lake, from which the stag had disappeared, and muttered, "Stag." The painting swung forward and Hermione stepped into what was to be her common room this year. The common room was rather small, but very cozy. In it was a fire crackling happily in the fireplace, a long sofa, and two stairwells leading out of it. Assuming the stairs lead to the bedrooms, she went up the left staircase while Draco went up the right. The stairs met at a landing with a balcony off of it, and to either side was a door. Choosing the door to her left, Hermione was pleased to discover a rather large bedroom decked out in Gryffindor colors. Immediately, she changed into her pajamas and fell into a warm sleep. The first that she had had in over a month.  
  
*****************************************************************  
  
Hermione woke up to the sound of an alarm clock at five o'clock the next day. Aggravated, she charged over to his room and pounded on the door.  
  
"Malfoy!"  
  
"What?!"  
  
"Open the door!"  
  
The doorknob turned slowly, and Draco appeared before Hermione, a disbelieving look on his face.  
  
"What?" he repeated.  
  
"Why the fuck do you need to set your alarm clock for 5 in the morning? Breakfast doesn't even open until seven!"  
  
"MY alarm clock? YOUR alarm clock woke ME up! So why don't you get your skinny little ass back over to your room and turn it off?!" Draco obviously wasn't a morning person.  
  
"What?!" As far as Hermione knew, she didn't bring an alarm clock, and in fact hadn't even owned one her entire life. It was at that point that she realized the sound wasn't coming from either of their rooms. Malfoy realized this at the same moment, and they both started walking groggily to the common room. Hermione, however, was in such a stupor that she tripped over a loose board in the floor, sending them both crashing down to the hard wood below them.  
  
"Ouch." Hermione said without much emphasis. She slowly got back to her feet, only to trip again over Draco as he started to get up.  
  
"Fuck." she mumbled. They both slowly and steadily got to their feet. Hermione had twisted her ankle, and had started muttering a long string of curse words as she moved down the stairs.  
  
When at last they reached the bottom, eyes hardly open, they noticed an alarm clock on the table in front of the sofa. It was still ringing like mad.  
  
Sleepy and confused, they both sat on the sofa and watched it ring, trying to figure it out in their heads. Draco was the first to recover. He slowly reached over and pressed the little red button on top of the little clock. "Yours, Granger?" he asked, motioning to the clock.  
  
"Nope."  
  
"Whatever." Once again, they started walking, slowly and sleepily, back up to their beds.  
  
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Hermione woke up at 7 once again and headed down to the common room with a few books to read before Draco got out of the shower. She sat on the sofa, skimming through some textbooks, littering the table with notes she had taken in previous years. Finally, she heard the shower turn off upstairs. She fetched a towel from her room then knocked on the bathroom door.  
  
"What now?"  
  
"What the fuck takes you so long?!"  
  
At that moment Draco came out of the bathroom dressed in his school uniform, glaring down at her. She ignored this and pushed past him into the bathroom.  
  
Draco went back to his room and finished drying his hair. After brushing his hair, and putting on his shoes, he headed down to the common room to catch up on some studying. However, when he got there, he saw that the table was completely covered in notes and books already. It was complete mess.  
  
"Granger, do you find it absolutely necessary to completely ruin the common room within the fucking first five minutes you spend in it?!"  
  
"Get over yourself!" Came the muffled reply.  
  
"ME get over MYSELF? I didn't leave my crap all over the place you fucking hypocrite!" Hermione came down the stairs at that point, fully dressed in her uniform.  
  
"WHY I ask, couldn't you fucking clean the place up YOURSELF? Eh? At home do you ALWAYS have someone doing something FOR you?! Can't you do ANYTHING by yourself?!"  
  
"Hey, it's not my problem that you leave your fucking notes from second year all over the place! All I ask is that YOU keep YOUR shit in YOUR room, and I'll keep MINE in MINE! Okay? Do we have an agreement?!"  
  
"Fine."  
  
"That's swell." he said sarcastically, then turned and left the room, Hermione following closely behind.  
  
"You know, we'll have to put up with each other if we're going to survive this year." Hermione pointed out logically.  
  
"Oh, is that so, because I don't feel any particular desire to follow orders from YOU, which is what I'm sure I'll have to do in order to 'survive'."  
  
"Okay, look. We have all of our classes together, after dark we have to patrol the hallways together, we have to share a dormitory, and we have to set a good example for the school while doing it. Understand?" She asked slowly, as if she were teaching a three year old always to look both ways before crossing the street.  
  
"YES. I DO understand. Can you go away now, so at least I won't have to see you until transfiguration?"  
  
Scowling and glaring at Draco, Hermione turned down a narrow hallway, while Draco went straight ahead to the Great Hall.  
  
AN: I know this chapter is rather short, and that it is also fairly stupid, but please continue reading, because everyone knows that the beginning is usually the worst, right? Well even if you don't, follow that philosophy and PLEASE keep reading. Guaranteed to get MUCH better as the story unfolds. 


	2. Chapter 2

"Blackbird"  
  
Chapter 2  
  
Around nine-thirty that night, after Hermione and Draco had returned to their common room, Professor McGonagall knocked on the painting outside their common room. "As you both know, the Head Boy and Girl must help the staff patrol the school by doing nightly rounds of the castle." She said as she stepped inside the common room. She looked at the scraps of paper lying on the floor with disgust. Hermione blushed. Professor McGonagall continued. "You will patrol the third floor for two hours every night except on weekends. You will walk together for safety precautions." She looked sternly down at them. "I trust everything will be fine. You will begin tonight at ten and continue until midnight. Any questions?" She switched her eyes back and forth between the pair of them. "No? Good." She exited back through the painting, which had magically closed itself. Both Hermione and Draco simultaneously looked at their watches and groaned. It was already quarter to nine. Without speaking, they each picked up their own textbooks and homework sheets and returned them to their rooms. Silently they headed out of the room and headed to the third floor. After over fifteen minutes of a rather uncomfortable silence, Hermione cracked.  
  
"Will you please SAY SOMETHING?!"  
  
Draco was so stunned by the unsubtle break in silence that he jumped about a foot in the air. He recovered fairly quickly.  
  
"What would you like me to say, Granger? Do you ALWAYS have to keep your mouth moving? Is it like some kind of decease where you just CAN'T stop TALKING?"  
  
Well, for your information, we have been in TOTAL, COMPLETE, SILENCE for the past 32 minutes and 46 seconds."  
  
"What scared, mudblood? Afraid some ghoulie or ghostie's going to get you?" He asked tauntingly. In spite of herself, Hermione laughed. If you were scared of those at Hogwarts, you weren't going to last long.  
  
"So, Malfoy, we might as well keep up a conversation." She stated. "So, what...do you, er, do...over the summer?"  
  
Draco looked at her curiously before answering. "Well, er, I do nothing."  
  
"What's nothing?"  
  
"Well, I basically sit around doing well NOTHING. Get it?"  
  
Hermione shot him a dry look. "Well you can't possibly just stay in that mansion of yours only eating and breathing all summer. I don't suspect you have a TV."  
  
"A what?"  
  
"Never mind." She sighed. "Well, that question was obviously too complicated for you. How 'bout this: do you ever go on vacations? Leave the house? Leave your slaves and ill-treated body guards behind?"  
  
"Watch it, mudblood."  
  
"Well DO you? It's a fair question."  
  
"Christ, you're nosy, Granger." "Ugh. If you just ANSWERED the QUESTION, this wouldn't be such an issue."  
  
"Okay, if it's that easy, I'll ask you." Draco said, hoping that if he asked her questions, she would make long complicated answers, making him stop talking unnecessarily. "So, Granger, what do YOU do over the summer?"  
  
"Oh, nothing much." She said quickly.  
  
"This sounds vaguely familiar..." Draco said, pretending to try and place a similar conversation.  
  
"Oh just shut up, Malfoy. You don't know shit about me." Hermione leaned up against the wall and slid down it, sobbing quietly.  
  
'What the fuck...?' Draco wondered. 'Great plan.' he thought sarcastically. He stood there uncertainly for a moment, then shrugged and slid down the wall next to Hermione. He pulled a cigarette out of his back pocket and lit it with his wand.  
  
"I thought you hated everything to do with muggles." Hermione whispered, watching him roll his eyes at her.  
  
"That's not true, those words never came out of my mouth."  
  
"Whatever." She said, wiping the tears from her eyes. "Shit I'm tired. Do you know that those can kill you?" She said, turning back to Draco.  
  
"Nah, these? They're addictive, and they'll make you happy, but they don't kill you." He said with certainty. After thinking about he said, "Seriously?" "Yeah. That's a cigarette." "No shit, Granger." He smiled as he saw Hermione's eyes roll. "And," he concluded, "It tastes like crap." He took it and put it out with his foot before making it magically disappear with his wand.  
  
"Hmph." Hermione said tiredly.  
  
"Descriptive." said Draco. "Shut up." said Hermione sleepily. After about five minutes of silence, Draco felt Hermione's head fall on his shoulder. She was sound asleep. He instinctively put his arm around her waist while thinking, 'Lovely. Just great. I can't wait until a teacher passes.' He sighed. This night was definitely competing for the weirdest night of his life.  
  
***************************************************  
  
"Miss Granger?" Hermione felt herself being pushed rather roughly. She slowly opened her eyes. Professor Snape was looking down at her with a look of disgust on his face. A sleepy, disheveled, Draco stood next to him, looking sulkily out of the window. Her whole body felt cold and achy. With a jolt, she realized what must have happened.  
  
"Shit." she muttered under her breath.  
  
"Excuse me?" asked Professor Snape coldly, his beetle-like eyes glaring at her.  
  
"I said 'sorry'." Hermione recovered quickly. "I realize what must have happened."  
  
"And what, exactly, DID happen?" Hermione was growing increasingly uncomfortable under Snape's glare.  
  
"Well, isn't it rather obvious?" She snapped. She was not a morning person.  
  
Professor Snape looked outraged.  
  
"What I mean is," Hermione said, realizing that not getting a detention was far out of reach now, "Malfoy and I, we were on patrol of the castle, and we were tired, so we sat down, and well..." She gestured to the floor around her. "We were so tired that we fell asleep." 'Stupid git.' Hermione thought angrily.  
  
"Well, I am pleased to hear that neither you nor Malfoy are lying, as you both said the same story. I am not placing you in detention, for the simple reason that the teachers need you on watch at that time. Though," he added sourly, "we can see what a great job the pair of you do."  
  
Hermione lowered her head and blushed, despite her anger. Draco rolled his eyes.  
  
"Malfoy, follow me. Miss Granger, return to your common room. Professor McGonagall WILL be informed of this." Then, he turned around quickly and headed in the opposite direction with Draco, who looked like he was walking to his death.  
  
AN: Okay, okay, I know this chapter was really short too, but isn't it getting better? Even in the slightest? Please review. More on the way soon. 


	3. Chapter 3

"Blackbird"  
  
Chapter 3  
  
"WHAT was that about?" Professor Snape had just opened the door to his office in the dungeons. He gestured for Draco to take a seat across from him. Draco unwillingly did so.  
  
"Well, sir, I thought Granger did a good job clearing that up." Draco hated Snape probably more than any other person on the planet. 'WHY did HE have to be Head of Slytherin?' Draco thought. 'Anybody else, but him.'  
  
"Don't be smart with me, Malfoy. Your father will also hear of this. Now how, may I ask, are you going to be a successful Death Eater if you are found in the morning with a mudblood in your arms?" He glared unblinkingly at Draco. Draco could do nothing but glare back with hate.  
  
"Perhaps, Professor, you misjudged the situation." Draco was so filled with anger that it took a great effort to get these few words out. "AND, what makes you think I would go NEAR that group of pigs you call fellow officers, those Death Eaters?" He said these words with disgust and mistrust for the Death Eaters, slobs that they all were.  
  
"Watch your words, Malfoy. You WILL regret them, I assure you." Snape flicked his wand out of his pocket and pointed it at Draco's throat menacingly. Slowly he drew back, his wand still aimed steadily at Draco. Draco didn't move. 'The bastard's totally insane.' He thought. 'I am in such big shit now.'  
  
Snape looked at Draco, pure insanity and coldness in his eyes. "Take them back. Take back what you said about the Dark Lord's supporters."  
  
'This is a sickness. All this crap about the Dark Lord being like a god, or something.' Draco thought to himself. "No, I'm not taking them back and as for the Dark Lord, well he can kiss my ass!" Draco seethed.  
  
This was the last straw for Snape. He flicked his wand at Draco's inner forearm and muttered under his breath.  
  
Instantly, Draco felt a searing hot pain in his arm. 'FUCK that hurts like hell!' he thought. He closed his eyes in pain, waiting for the burning to stop, for it all to end. He grabbed Snape's wand arm with his other hand and, with much effort, snapped Snape's wand against his own desk. Immediately, the pain in is arm faded away, and he looked to see the small black mark of a snake there, a small reminder of this day in years to come.  
  
Snape grabbed at Draco's robes, and Draco, surprised, slipped to the floor. He reached in his pockets, but found no wand there. With horror, Draco saw Snape laughing insanely above him, now Draco's own wand was pointed at him. 'Bloody hell.' thought Draco. 'The lunatic is actually going to kill me.'  
  
Snape raised the wand, closing his eyes and saying, "I told you you'd regret those words, Malfoy. You just didn't realize how SOON you would regret them." He laughed menacingly again. "Avada Ked-" but he didn't finish his curse before Draco smashed a bottle of some gooey green liquid over his head. Snape lay motionless on the floor while Draco picked up his wand and wiped the green goop on Snape's robes. "Fuck, the bastard was really going to kill me."  
  
He sped out of the office quickly, headed to his dormitory before a teacher could see the mess he had created. He looked out one of the windows on the way. It was dark out now. Apparently, he and Granger had slept until the late afternoon. Oh, well. All the better.  
  
"Stag." Draco said as he entered his common room to find Hermione reading on the sofa. She looked up when he came in.  
  
"Malfoy! Fuck, what happened to you?" Hermione asked, looking from his torn robes to the green glop all over him.  
  
"Forget it. I'm going to my room, and please don't disturb me." Draco said before charging up the stairs and out of sight. Confused, Hermione sat down on the sofa again, but put her book on the table. After a minute or so, she heard a string of cusswords from Draco's bedroom.  
  
"Malfoy?" She asked as she ran up the stairs.  
  
"Go away, Granger!"  
  
"No! What are you doing? What was that crap on your robes? What about professor Snape?" Hermione shouted through the door.  
  
"Who gives a damn about what happens to him?" Draco said a little too quickly.  
  
"WHAT HAPPENED?" Hermione shouted stubbornly.  
  
Slowly, Draco cracked open the door slightly, so that Hermione could not see in his room. "WHY do you care?"  
  
"I don't know!" Hermione noticed Draco had changed out of his Hogwarts robes into robes a deep shade of gray.  
  
"Well, then. Problem solved." He started to close the door again, but Hermione quickly shoved her weight against it. She accidentally hit Draco with the door.  
  
"Ow!" He moaned, messaging his nose. "Why do people find it necessary to try and kill me, today?" He muttered.  
  
"Sorry." said Hermione. She took a look around his room and saw some of his clothes shoved in a bag on the bad, along with a heap of wizarding money. "Planning on going somewhere?"  
  
"None of your business, Granger. Get out."  
  
"NO! Tell me what you're doing!"  
  
"And WHY would I do that?"  
  
"Because, because..." Hermione stopped. She didn't know what Malfoy was doing, or why she even cared. 'I should leave him be.' she thought logically to herself. However, just as she was about to leave, Draco shut his door closed and closed his eyes. When he opened them again, he saw Hermione looking curiously at him, and he told her. He told her about his meeting with Snape, what he had done to Snape and why he must leave.  
  
"My father will have my head!" He said. "I not only practically killed a Death Eater, but I also insulted the Dark Lord. He WILL kill me. His love for me, if he ever had any, will not extend far enough for him to let me live my life in peace. And even if HE did," he continued, "Voldemort would have me killed for sure." Hermione looked into Draco's eyes, and saw that he was not scared, but determined, and decided on what he was to do.  
  
Hermione, after slight hesitation, grabbed Draco by the sleeve of his robe and jerked her head toward the door. "Get over here, Malfoy. We're going to Dumbledore."  
  
AN: Right, then, that's chapter 3! Preview for next chapter: At dumbledore's office, he gives them instructions on how to save Draco's life. (Dun, dun, dun) Anyway, coming up, in chapter 4! 


	4. Chapter 4

"Blackbird"  
  
Chapter 4  
  
"Granger, what the hell are we doing? I practically killed a professor! Do you really think Dumbledore has anything to say to me?" Draco moaned as Hermione dragged him through the corridors.  
  
"Oh, shut up." Hermione snapped. "You obviously need help, and if anyone can help you, it's Professor Dumbledore." Draco glared at her.  
  
"I do not need help. I would've been fine if you didn't need to be so nosy all the time."  
  
Hermione snorted. "Yeah, you would have done really well on your own, right up until some Death Eater ran into you and killed you." She said sarcastically. Draco remained silent for a moment, hating to admit to himself that she had a point.  
  
"Hey, why do you even care?" Draco asked as he stopped walking. "I can handle my own problems, and, from what I heard last night, you have your own problems to deal with. So really, why do you feel the need to 'help' me?" Draco examined Hermione's face carefully, truly wondering why she even cared. Hermione looked up at him.  
  
"I'm helping you because I KNOW you need help. You were about to run away mere minutes ago, when I think we both know you wouldn't have lasted long on your own." Draco opened his mouth to protest, but Hermione silenced him with a glare before continuing. "And as for my own problems, that's none of your business, and something you really don't know much about, so don't even bring it up." She said before she once again pulled at his sleeve and started walking. Draco stared at her, shaking his head slowly.  
  
"Right, so even though your problems are none of MY business," Draco said, pausing their walk once again, "My life is so obviously YOUR business." He finished sarcastically. "So, let me get this straight," Draco said, looking at her as if she were his teacher and he was clarifying something, "if I told YOU that I KNEW you needed help, I could take YOU to Dumbledore's office so that he could yell at YOU and straighten YOUR problems out?" Draco acted as though he were thinking for a moment, "Hey, that's kind of like what you're doing to me...." He said, his voice filled with sarcasm.  
  
Hermione just looked at him. "Look, Malfoy, you may not think you need help, but the fact remains that you DO." She made as though to continue walking, then paused. "And your problems ARE my business ever since you've told me about them. You may not think any of this affects me, but it does now, because if you just disappeared tonight after telling me all of this, then people would ask ME where you were since I would obviously have been the last to have seen you. Then I could either tell them why and where you'd gone, at great risk to your life, or remain quiet and be stalked by Death Eaters wanting to find you, at great risk to both of our lives." She paused for breath. "So, you see, Malfoy, I am far more involved than you might think. Not to mention it's my fault Snape called you into his office today in the first place. Now, let's go see Dumbledore, shall we?" She turned her back on Draco, continuing her walk to the headmaster's office. Draco hesitated before running to catch up with her brisk pace.  
  
"Okay, Granger, you've proven your point about being involved, but do you seriously think that Dumbledore will have any answers?" Draco waited for a response, but upon not getting one, he continued, "The answer is no, he won't be able to help, and I have a feeling that practically killing a teacher might be against the rules. Just a guess, though." He said sarcastically. Hermione continued walking, not even bothering to look at Draco, let alone speak to him. They walked in silence for a few minutes before Draco changed his mind. "Granger, this is fucking insane! I'm not going to Dumbledore; I'm leaving without his expelling me, thanks." Draco turned and headed in the opposite direction, back towards their quarters, but not before Hermione whirled around and grabbed him by the arm.  
  
"Malfoy, please, you're being even stupider than usual! Leaving by yourself isn't going to accomplish anything if you get caught, which is extremely likely!" Hermione said as she held on to Draco's arm, not allowing him to escape.  
  
Draco tried to shake Hermione off him. "Get off, Granger! It's going to Dumbledore that's not going to accomplish anything. Oh, and thanks for that comment about my intelligence, real nice." He pulled on his arm, but Hermione held on tight.  
  
"Malfoy, why are you so afraid of expulsion? You're just going to leave, anyway!"  
  
"Get off! If I get expelled, they'll notify my parents, smart one." He tugged at his arm again, pulling Hermione with it. Hermione stubbed her toe, tripping and bringing both herself and Draco to the floor.  
  
"OW!" moaned Hermione, massaging her shoulder, which had been knocked into the knob of a door that was slightly ajar. Draco slowly sat up, groaning as well.  
  
"Thanks for that, Granger." Malfoy commented sarcastically as he began to stand.  
  
"Who's there?" Snape's voice rang through the corridor. "Show yourself! It's past nine o'clock, all students should be in their dormitories!" Hermione and Draco froze, listening to hear where his voice was coming from. Since they couldn't see him, they assumed he must be just around the corner.  
  
Hermione looked at Draco and mouthed, "LET'S HIDE IN THIS CLASSROOM," pointing to the door that was slightly ajar just behind her. Draco nodded to show he both understood and agreed. They stood quietly but quickly, carefully sliding into the deserted room. Hermione closed the door and they both sighed in relief.  
  
Snape rounded the corner just in time to see a door down the hallway close inaudibly.  
  
"That was close." Hermione whispered, shaking her head. "I'd hate to think—"  
  
The door was opening. Draco grabbed Hermione—who was staring at the door, horrorstruck—and pulled her behind an old bookshelf. The two sat there, holding their breath and watching Snape fully open the door and enter the room. In the light of the doorway, they could see the terrible gash on Snape's forehead and there were neon green stains on his robes where the potion had splattered. Hermione let out an audible gasp when she saw what a wreck Snape was, and though Draco immediately clamped his hand over her mouth, it was too late. Snape had heard her, and he quickly started walking across the room.  
  
"Fuck!" Whispered Draco under his breath as he pulled himself and Hermione further into the shadows. Draco felt his back hit the wall, but then both he and Hermione fell backward through what they imagined later could only have been a secret passageway. Hermione shrieked as they suddenly tumbled backwards through the dark, but her noise was muffled by Draco's hand, which still covered her mouth. Neither of them could see anything, but they felt themselves tumbling down steps and they clung to each other instinctively as they fell. After what seemed like a long time but was only a matter of seconds, they stopped tumbling over one another and realized that the floor beneath them was solid.  
  
Draco groaned loudly from the pain he was feeling in every part of his body. He opened his eyes and, to his surprise, saw the night sky above him. Confused, he turned his aching head to the left and saw the outskirts of the forbidden forest, dark and mysterious. He pushed Hermione off him and slowly sat up. He knew where he was; this was the East side of the castle, and he could make out the shimmering surface of the lake a little ways away. "Granger?" Draco shook the motionless form of Hermione next to him. She was unconscious. 'Great. Just swell.' Draco thought to himself sarcastically when Hermione didn't respond.  
  
On the other end of the passageway, Professor Snape began quickly descending the stairwell Draco and Hermione had discovered mere seconds ago. 


	5. Chapter 5

"Blackbird"  
  
Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot, and even that was inspired by other stories and, of course, the song "Blackbird" by John Lennon and Paul McCartney.  
  
Chapter 5  
  
Draco was examining a rather nasty-looking bruise that was forming on the top of Hermione's forehead when he heard the sound of nearby footsteps. He froze, listening carefully as the footsteps got nearer and nearer. Upon realizing that the footsteps were coming from the secret passageway that they had just fallen through, Draco speedily stood up, trying to figure out what to do with Hermione. Knowing that the approaching footsteps most likely belonged to Snape, a person Draco had no interest in seeing again today, Draco quickly lifted Hermione off the ground and began sprinting towards the dark forest.  
  
Draco threw himself and Hermione behind a large tree just in time to see Professor Snape appear at the bottom of the stairwell. "Who's there?" Snape barked, closing the secret passageway with his wand. "At this point, there is no way to avoid detention, so if you are a student, show yourself NOW!"  
  
Draco held his breath as Snape slowly came nearer to where they lay hidden, his voice cutting through the thick silence of the woods. Draco knew it wasn't safe to move; Snape had had his wand out and ready the moment he entered the forest. In Draco's lap, Hermione began to stir, rapidly returning to her conscious state. She slowly opened her eyes, looking around herself in confusion. Draco caught her eye and brought one finger to his lips, telling her silently to remain quiet. She looked at him uncertainly, but didn't say anything. She sat up and moved so that she was now sitting next to Draco with her back against the tree trunk, a place she felt much more comfortable with than she had with her previous position in Draco's lap.  
  
"WHERE ARE WE?" Hermione mouthed, still very confused about how they had gotten outside at all.  
  
"The Forbidden Forest," Draco whispered quietly, still listening for Snape's footsteps. "The passageway we fell through dropped us on the grounds and Snape followed us. Wait—" Draco paused, hearing Snape's footsteps quicken behind them. Once again Draco gestured for Hermione to be silent.  
  
Hermione heard Snape's footsteps and noticed that they were close and were getting nearer by the second. She slowly and silently got to her feet, back pressed up against the tree, and began sliding carefully around the trunk. She peeked around the tree and saw Snape looking behind some dark bushes, unaware of Hermione's presence. Hermione quickly realized that this might be her only chance, and drew her wand out of her pocket. Aiming the wand at the potions master, she whispered, "Stupify."  
  
Snape immediately collapsed into the bushes he was looking through, unconscious. Hermione let out a sigh of relief and turned back to Draco. "He's unconscious...for now, anyway." Draco peeked around the tree himself to make sure she was correct before standing next to her. Hermione walked over to Snape and took away his wand, pocketing it. She then lay Snape on the ground so that he wasn't hanging so precariously on the bushes. She cringed as she looked at him. "Jesus, Malfoy, what the hell did you do to him?" Hermione asked, looking away from the unconscious professor and up at Draco.  
  
Draco continued looking at Snape with disgust. "I smashed a bottle of green goo over his head." Hermione just stared at him, wide-eyed. "The bastard was trying to kill me! What the hell was I SUPPOSED to do?" Draco kicked angrily at some leaves on the forest floor. "Fuck. What the hell are we going to do now?"  
  
Hermione looked back down at Snape guiltily. She would never in her wildest dreams have guessed that she would one day stun a professor. The worst part was that she was now even more thoroughly involved with this whole chaotic problem. She thought about their options. "Well... I really don't see any solution now." She said hopelessly. "I would say we should go to Dumbledore, but now that we've stunned and disarmed a teacher on the outskirts of the forbidden forest, I don't think that would be the greatest idea somehow..."  
  
Draco thought for a moment. He knew that leaving was pretty much his only choice, but at the back of his mind he felt guilty about leaving Hermione to explain to the teachers about why he had left. He didn't know why he cared what happened to her, one of the few people he had actually hated most of his life, but she had tried to help him this evening, and he felt indebted to her. However, no matter how guilty he felt, he knew that running away was his only option. Even before they'd gotten been chased by Snape, he knew that going to Dumbledore wasn't the answer, and now he felt that there wasn't even a choice in the matter. "Look, Granger," He began uncertainly, "I'm sorry that you've gotten so involved in this mess, and I'm sorry that I have to leave you here to answer the inquiries of the teachers on your own, but my only option right now is to do what I originally planned on; to run away."  
  
Hermione was kneeling on the ground, next to the stunned teacher whom she had already forgotten about in her thinking of their possible solutions. She looked up thoughtfully at Draco and stood, brushing the dirt from the ground off her robes. "I know you have to go, Malfoy. And..." She paused, uncertain of whether she should continue. "Could I go with you?" She bit her lip, looking at him nervously, having absolutely no idea how he would react.  
  
Draco looked at Hermione, surprised. "C-Come with me?" He repeated.  
  
Hermione shifted uncomfortably from one foot to the other. "Well, it's just that it would solve a lot of problems. There wouldn't be any witnesses; no one would know where we had gone. Snape would be the last to have seen us, but even he can't be certain that it was us."  
  
Draco thought about it. "But what about your family at home? Won't they worry about you?" He asked her.  
  
Hermione didn't speak for a moment. Her eyes flashed with a mixture of emotions: anger, sadness, fear...there were many. When she spoke, her voice had a cold edge to it. "No." She said with certainty.  
  
Draco frowned, confused about her family. He decided not to ask her about it just yet and his thoughts drifted back to the idea of her leaving with him. He couldn't see anything particularly wrong with this plan, but it seemed odd that two people who had been enemies as long as they had known each other would run away together. There was something inside him, his younger self, that said leaving with Hermione would only result in disaster. But yet another part of himself, the part that was determined to leave the past behind, reminded him that Hermione had only been trying to help him this whole night, with no apparent benefit to herself. And, come to think of it, they had actually gotten along fairly well for two whole days now, ever since they were made Head Boy and Girl. As she looked at him hopefully, he decided to give her a chance. "Yes, you can come with me, if you're positive that's what you want to do. We'll have to move quickly, so you'll have to keep up. Are you sure you want to?" He said, watching the anxiety vanish from her features as relief swept over her.  
  
"Yes, I'm sure." Hermione said, determined.  
  
"Then let's get going." Draco turned around, heading back to the castle. He wondered what on earth he had gotten himself into by allowing Hermione to come with him. Was it really the right decision? Draco looked sideways at Hermione, who was walking next to him. He stopped walking for a second, remembering that they had just left Professor Snape on the ground. "What about Snape?" He asked Hermione, who continued to walk a few yards in front of him.  
  
"Leave him there. I make a point of not helping bastards like him."  
  
Draco smirked as he realized letting Hermione go with him might not have been such a bad decision after all.  
  
******************************************************  
  
Hermione rushed into her room to pack her things. She scrambled around, packing anything worth keeping and leaving everything else behind. She could only bring her backpack, as her trunk would be far too large to carry a great distance, so she placed a charm on the inside of the bag to make it larger than it appeared. She packed as many clothes as she could fit, all of her money and anything that she could sell if they were desperate, and an old photograph of her parents. She looked down at the old picture before she put it in her bag. Her parents were smiling at her and waving, it almost brought tears to her eyes when she remembered she would never see them again, as they had died that summer. She quickly stuffed the picture into her backpack and zipped it up, bringing only one more thing in her pocket: the book she was currently reading (The Count of Monte Cristo). When she was sure she'd packed everything she needed, she hurried across the hall to Draco's room.  
  
Hermione knocked quickly on the door before opening it. She looked around and saw that Draco was also only taking a medium-sized bag rather than his trunk. Just as she was closing the door behind her, he zipped the bag closed, obviously finished packing. He then proceeded to put on his robes, when Hermione decided to ask the question that had been nagging her for some time. "Er, Malfoy? How are we going to get far away from here if there's only a few hours until classes begin again and the teachers realize we're gone?"  
  
Draco smirked, reaching into his closet and pulling out his broomstick. "We're going to fly."  
  
Hermione looked uncertainly at the Firebolt in Draco's hand. "F-Fly?" She asked, her voice a few tones higher than usual.  
  
Draco noticed her discomfort and realized at once what must be wrong. "Granger, are you scared of heights?" Hermione nodded, still eyeing the broom apprehensively. Draco sighed. "Well, I'm afraid this is our only choice. It's too late to start out walking, as even now the sun is rising, so you'll have to fly or stay behind."  
  
Hermione looked up at him and nodded once again. "Alright," she said, "I'll fly for a little while, but on other days, when we're not as rushed can we PLEASE walk?"  
  
"Yeah, alright, but quick, let's get going before the other students get up." He gestured for her to follow him to the balcony, where he mounted the broom. He stuck out his hand to pull her up on to the hovering broom with him, and she grudgingly put one leg over the broomstick and sat down. Draco instinctively put his arm around her waist as the broom surged forward, slightly slower than usual with the added amount of weight. Together they flew through the cold, crisp morning air, speedily leaving the old castle and its grounds. After a while, even Hermione began to relax a little, despite the high altitude, and she eventually fell asleep, her whole body resting on Draco's torso. Soon enough, the sun had fully risen, and, for everybody below them, the day was just beginning.  
  
They were now miles from Hogwarts, having flown for several ours without resting, and Draco was beginning to feel increasingly drowsy. He spotted an empty field below them and decided to take a break. They quickly descended and landed gracefully in the shade of a tall tree. Draco carefully rested Hermione on the grass next to his Firebolt and then lay down beside her. Within seconds, his lack of rest caught up with him and he was in a deep sleep.  
  
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AN: Well, I think this story has gotten better, as I promised it would a long time ago. I hope that you all are enjoying this story and please review! 


	6. Chapter 6

"Blackbird"  
  
Chapter 6  
  
Hermione sat up and looked around, her eyes adjusting to the darkness. She momentarily forgot why she was in this strange place, but as her hand bumped into the sleeping form of Draco, she remembered everything. Obviously she had fallen asleep during the trip and had slept all through the day. As she sleepily rubbed her eyes, Hermione yawned and looked up at the sky, which was filled with twinkling stars. She leaned back against the tree trunk she had been sleeping against at continued to look up at the stars with awe. She was perfectly content with sitting there forever in the silence under the brightly lit sky, but was startled back to reality by a groan to her right. Draco had just woken up.  
  
Draco looked up at Hermione with confusion for a moment, but realization finally hit and he sat up as well, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. "How long have you been awake?" He asked, looking over towards Hermione once again.  
  
"Just a few minutes." She replied, turning her gaze back to the heavens. "Where are we?"  
  
Draco shrugged. "I don't really know. A field somewhere."  
  
Hermione rolled her eyes and paused for a while before speaking. "Where exactly are we going?" She noticed Draco shift uncomfortably. "Don't tell me you don't even know...." She said incredulously.  
  
"Well, I didn't have that much time to think about, okay?" He said in defense, searching his mind quickly for a good place they could stay. "Er...I've heard there's a wizarding town a bit east of Hogsmeade, but we're long past that...." They sat in silence for some time, each thinking about possible places to stay. Finally, Hermione gave up.  
  
"Oh, this is stupid. We're wasting valuable traveling time while we just sit here. Let's start walking down the road, and we can try to figure something out as we go." She said, standing and grabbing her backpack. Draco nodded and followed suit, grabbing his own bag and hoisting it up onto his shoulders. He then proceeded to put a shrinking spell on his broomstick, which he put into his pocket. Together, they hiked along the road until dawn, neither having much to say, they remained silent throughout their trek. It wasn't until dawn arrived that Hermione spoke. "Look over there," she said, pointing. "Is that a town?"  
  
Draco squinted into the sunlight. "Yeah, judging from the way it looks like a large group of buildings, I'd say your guess is right."  
  
Hermione glared at him, and he smirked. "I'm starving. Let's see if they've got anything to eat." She said, grudgingly moving her feet once again. Draco followed.  
  
**************************************************************  
  
"Albus, I have some terrible news." Professor McGonagall fidgeted nervously with her wand as she sat opposite the headmaster, who put down his copy of "The Daily Prophet" and listened intently. He could tell that Minerva was deeply upset about something, but had no idea what could possibly be bothering her so on the fourth day of classes. "Sir, Ms. Granger and Mr. Malfoy, the Head Boy and Girl, they...they're gone." She looked down at her hands sadly as the news set in.  
  
Dumbledore leaned back in his chair, frowning. "When?" He asked.  
  
Professor McGonagall shrugged. "Last night, I guess. They weren't at breakfast, so I went check their dormitories, and not only were the two students gone, but most of their belongings have disappeared as well."  
  
At this, Dumbledore nodded. It was obvious to him what had happened, but he couldn't understand why. "Minerva, I do believe that Ms. Granger and Mr. Malfoy have run away...possibly together."  
  
Professor McGonagall looked at him in disbelief, unwilling to accept his odd conclusion. "But Albus, the two have been enemies since they arrived here seven years ago. It is highly unlikely that they would run away together, never mind the fact that neither of them had any particular excuse to leave. What about their families? Their friends?"  
  
Dumbledore clasped his hands together and leaned over his desk, thinking. "Minerva, over this past summer, Ms. Granger had a lot of family difficulties. Both of her parents died in a car crash, and ever since she has been switched to several different foster homes." He paused and looked sadly down at his desk. "I have reason to believe that none of these foster homes were very welcoming, especially the last one she was in before she came here. I think that Ms. Granger has changed drastically since last spring, and that perhaps she is still having difficulties dealing with all that has happened to her in such a short time. It does not surprise me that she wanted to get away from it all."  
  
Professor McGonagall sat rigidly in her chair, shocked by the ordeal her best pupil had gone through in the span of a few months. "And Mr. Malfoy? What reasons could he have had to run away?"  
  
Professor Dumbledore continued to look sadly down at his hands. He hesitated before answering. "I have a strong feeling that Mr. Malfoy may have been under some intense pressures lately. As you probably know, Lucius Malfoy has always been somewhat supportive of Voldemort," Professor McGonagall flinched, but Dumbledore ignored her and continued. "and I believe that Draco may not have any intention of following in his footsteps."  
  
Professor McGonagall shivered in disgust whenever she thought of the Dark Lord and his supporters. The fact that a father would put so much pressure on his son to do something that was so wrong...it was simply grotesque. They sat in silence for some time, each grieving for the two head students and thinking about where they could possibly be at that very moment. Professor McGonagall broke the silence with a question. "What are we going to do about it, Albus?" she asked softly.  
  
Dumbledore slowly looked up at her, the usual cheeriness in his eyes replaced by remorse. He sighed, rearranging several items on his desk absentmindedly. "We have to bring them back, Minerva. They may not know it, but Hogwarts is the safest place for them at this time." He paused. "Please contact the 'Daily Prophet' immediately. Tell them that two students have gone missing and give their descriptions. I'm sure that this is the last thing Ms. Granger and Mr. Malfoy would want, but for their own protection...." His voice trailed off and he looked over at one of his many bookshelves guiltily. Professor McGonagall stood and left silently, closing the door behind her. Dumbledore looked over at the perch where Fawkes stood, as beautiful as ever. "Was that the right thing to do?" He asked his pet quietly. "Did I just make those poor students' lives harder? I don't know if I can live with the guilt if I did...."  
  
****************************************************************  
  
Hermione and Draco reached the small town at eight o'clock in the morning. The place was eerily quiet as they walked through the deserted streets. Even as they reached the central square, there were few people around. The citizens they did see didn't look particularly trusting of the two new strangers, casting them nervous smiles and not speaking at all. Draco and Hermione tried to appear as friendly as possible, but were made uneasy by the townspeople.  
  
"Maybe we should go somewhere else." Draco told Hermione quietly as they crossed the central square. "The people here don't seem er...fond of strangers." Hermione looked up and could see the anxiety in his features. She turned away, slowly scanning the almost completely empty area and then shrugging, trying to hide the uneasiness she felt.  
  
"Yeah, maybe we should just keep walking." She said. Her stomach grumbled as they passed a closed café. "Damnit!" She moaned under her breath, eyeing the menu of the small restaurant. "I'm starving!"  
  
Draco sighed. "Yeah, me too, but a) nothing seems to be open now, and b) this place gives me the creeps." He shivered slightly at the thick silence that surrounded them.  
  
"Alright, then let's keep going." She grumbled, adjusting her backpack and continuing to walk across town.  
  
They walked to the very edge of the town and then, only then, did they see a little shop that was open. As the two approached the little corner store, they saw that it was basically a news stand, but that in the back it looked like there were some sandwiches on sale. Hermione was eager to check out the food, and turned to Draco for approval.  
  
"How 'bout we get some food here? There aren't any costumers at this time, so we won't get any glares, and who knows when we'll see another place to stop?" She said, looking at him pleadingly. "PLEASE? I can't remember a time that I've been more hungry."  
  
Draco looked at her begging expression and smirked. "I guess it wouldn't hurt." He said, shrugging. Hermione immediately disappeared into the shop, uttering a few words of thanks. Draco followed her in and looked around. It, like everywhere else in town, appeared to be deserted, but the sign hanging on the door read "open," so Draco assumed it was fine that they were there. He looked around at the newspapers while Hermione rummaged through the sandwiches in the other aisle. He knew there was something peculiar about them, but didn't have time to figure out what it was, as the store owner appeared seemingly out of nowhere at that time and smiled at Draco.  
  
"Is there something I can help you with, young man?" The store owner asked Draco kindly.  
  
"No, I think we're fine, thanks." Draco began to turn back towards the newspapers, but the owner tapped him on the shoulder before he could examine anything more carefully.  
  
"Are you a traveler?" the man asked, squinting at Draco suspiciously.  
  
Draco looked uncertainly at the man before him. "Er, yes. We were just coming through and thought we'd buy some sandwiches for breakfast." The man paled a little, all traces of a smile gone from his face. "Why?" Draco asked, noticing the owner's change in attitude.  
  
The man began mumbling to himself and walked briskly back to the register. Draco continued to look at the row of papers, shrugging, but kept an eye on the owner as he disappeared behind the countertop. Draco was still certain that there was something unusual about the newspapers, but forgot about them altogether when he saw the store owner reappear down the aisle, now carrying a wand, which was aimed at Draco. Suddenly Draco realized why everything had seemed so strange today; this was a wizarding town, and the townspeople obviously thought that he and Hermione were muggles. Obviously something was wrong with the newspapers: the pictures MOVED. Draco cursed himself for mot realizing sooner as he tried to explain everything to the owner, who now stood only a few feet from him.  
  
"Wait! I'm not a muggle!" Draco stammered as the man opened his mouth to cast a charm. "I'm a wizard! And my, er, friend in the other aisle is a witch! I swear it!" Draco reached into his pocket and drew his wand to prove his point. The shop owner noticeably relaxed, lowering his wand and sighing with relief.  
  
"Oh, sorry." He muttered, putting his wand in his back pocket. "As a law, we have to put a memory charm on any muggle that enters one of our shops." He hesitated before continuing. "Well, technically, we're supposed to keep muggles out in general, but I got sidetracked this morning...you understand, right?" He offered a feeble smile.  
  
"Yeah, of course. I'm just glad that we found out why people here treated us so weirdly." Draco said, restoring his wand to his pocket.  
  
"Yes, I can only assume that must have been odd." The owner said and walked back to the register. Draco, yet again, turned back to the newspapers and picked up a copy of the Daily Prophet. He quickly scanned the front page, and his jaw dropped. He looked around quickly and rushed over to where Hermione stood in the other aisle, picking out sandwiches.  
  
"Granger!" He whispered as he approached. Hermione looked at him curiously and he showed her the front page. She looked down and gasped. Right there, plain as day, were two pictures; one of her and one of Draco. The title of the article was "Head Students at Hogwarts Not Setting the Best Example." She read the article, each word making her more nervous.  
  
"The Head Boy and Girl at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Draco Malfoy and Hermione Granger, disappeared last night without a trace. Their rooms were found almost completely empty and the Professors suspect that the two ran away and were not taken by force. No one has any idea of the motives, but some connect the mysterious finding of the Potions Master Severus Snape lying stunned in the forbidden forest this morning to the disappearance of the two teenagers. Professor Snape was not available for comment as he is still currently in Hogwarts' hospital wing and is suspected to have temporary memory loss due to his long-term unconscious state." Hermione whispered to herself. When she finished the article, she looked up at Draco in horror. "What are we going to do?" She whispered desperately.  
  
Draco was feeling extremely anxious. By now, probably the majority of the wizarding world knew about their disappearance. Thankfully no one had recognized them so far, but Draco knew that it was only a matter of time before someone who had read that morning's paper spotted them. He looked over at the man behind the counter apprehensively, but the store owner obviously hadn't read the newspaper yet; he simply smiled at Draco. Draco turned back to Hermione, who was nervously wringing her hands together. "Look," said Draco, "Let's just get the sandwiches and get out of this wizarding town and find a muggle town somewhere. That way we stand less of a chance of being recognized."  
  
Hermione opened looked down at the newspaper in her hands and a look of dawning comprehension crossed her face. "So this is a wizarding town..." She said, more to herself than to Draco. She gave the paper back to Draco and proceeded to take the food she had picked out to the counter. Draco hurried back to the row of papers and magazines and casually placed the Daily Prophet back in its place. He waited for a minute while Hermione bought the stuff and then the two quickly exited the store and hurried down the street.  
  
Before long, they were out in the country again, and they felt it was safe to stop and eat their breakfast, as it was already eleven o'clock. They sat under a large tree that was on the side of the road. Hermione still couldn't believe their luck.  
  
"What were the chances?" She asked aloud, "Honestly, of all the towns we could've gone through, we just happened to come across a WIZARDING one?" She sat down and hungrily started on her sandwich.  
  
Draco watched her with wide eyes as she gulfed down her entire sandwich in less than a minute. "Hungry, are you?"  
  
Hermione looked up guiltily. "Well, really, it's been over A DAY since I've had anything to eat. She continued to eat the pack of chips she had started on, though with a slightly slower pace.  
  
Draco smirked and looked back towards the way they'd come. "At least no one from that town recognized us. It could've been worse." He stated optimistically. "And now we know to be careful, as everyone in the magical world probably knows we're missing." He leaned up against the tree trunk and started on his own sandwich.  
  
They sat in silence for a while, the reality of their situation dampening their spirits slightly. When they had both finished, they stood and started off again. Hermione spent their silent walk thinking about Draco, and wondering for the billionth time whether she had made the right decision in coming with him. Draco spent their silent walk thinking about Hermione, and wondering for the billionth time whether he had made the right decision in letting her come along. They both came to the same conclusion:  
  
Their decisions had already been put into action, and, come what may, they were stuck with their decisions. 


	7. Chapter 7

"Blackbird"  
  
Chapter 7  
  
It was lucky for Hermione and Draco that in their first week of traveling, they had excellent weather conditions. Every day was fairly warm and sunny, and the two were perfectly comfortable sleeping under trees alongside the deserted road at night. However, on the sixth afternoon since their disappearance from Hogwarts, they found themselves in a terrible thunderstorm in the middle of the countryside, very far from the last town they had been in and not knowing how close the next town was.  
  
"Didn't you bother to buy a map?" Hermione shouted through the racket the heavy rain was making.  
  
Draco glared at her. "No. We don't have that much money left, but if it means that much to you, why didn't YOU buy a map?"  
  
Hermione threw him a dirty look but didn't say anything.  
  
They trudged on through increasingly deep puddles in silence, each hoping against hope that a town would come into sight soon. They watched the bright flashes of lightning across the dark grey sky, each closely followed by an earthshakingly loud crack of thunder. They both jumped when, across a field to their right, they saw a lightning bolt strike a tree, which immediately went up in flames.  
  
Eyes wide, they both watched in horror as the tree burned in large orange flames. After a minute or so of watching intently, Hermione recovered, letting go of Draco, whose arm she hadn't realized she'd been holding onto. Draco also wrenched his gaze from the burning tree and turned to look at Hermione, who was looking shaken. Silently, they both looked at the burning tree before looking at the very tall trees that lined the road they were walking on. Hermione gulped.  
  
"Well, isn't that just terrific." said Draco sarcastically. "I mean, as if we didn't have enough problems already, now we're soaking wet, in the middle of a thunderstorm, and walking on a road lined with very tall trees."  
  
Hermione looked to her left, where she saw what looked like the edge of a forest across a small field. "Well, we could try that forest over there." She said, pointing at the line of trees.  
  
"Great. LOTS of very tall trees."  
  
Hermione rolled her eyes at him. "How daft are you, Malfoy? If we're in that forest, instead of along a deserted road surrounded by empty fields, the lightning's less likely to hit US and more likely to hit the top of a tree, which we'll be able to see and then can move away from it if necessary." She said. "Not to mention it will almost undoubtedly be drier in there. We can rest until the storm passes."  
  
Draco shrugged his approval and headed towards the field on their left, still casting weary glances up at the threatening sky.  
  
They reached the woods safely but the rain was still pouring down and Hermione and Draco were both cold and incredibly wet. Under the trees the ground was drier and as they progressed deeper into the forest, only a few raindrops managed to reach them through all the leaves and branches. They stopped to rest after half an hour of walking.  
  
Hermione looked around at the dark, thick woods around her and shivered. "It's so dark in here." She said, to no one in particular.  
  
Draco sat down on a log and started rummaging through his pack. "Not much food left." He commented, pulling two bananas out and handing one to Hermione, who sat down beside him. "This can be our..." he paused to look at his watch. It read four-thirty. "Dinner." He finished, peeling his banana.  
  
Hermione looked into her own pack. "I've got...a couple muffins...that can be breakfast." She leaned back against the trunk of a tree and started on her banana. They were both done rather quickly, as they had been very hungry. In the silence that followed their meal, Hermione decided to ask something that had been bothering her since they had left. "So, are we just going to wander around, going from town to town with everyone in the magical community looking for us? Or is there really somewhere we're headed?" She waited to see how Draco would react with apprehension.  
  
Draco didn't speak at first. In truth, he had been wondering the same thing himself. When he had decided to run away, it had seemed like the only choice. He had thought it would be easy to run away and figure things out later; that solutions would present themselves with time. None had. "I don't really know..." he said, "I suppose we'll wander around until people have given up on us, and then we can...I dunno, get jobs and change our identities if we have to." He finished uncertainly, shrugging.  
  
Hermione frowned. Deep down, she had known that Draco didn't have anything planned out, but she had still been hoping that he had at least an idea of where to go or what to do. She sighed and closed her eyes. "I never imagined that I'd spend my seventh year this way."  
  
Draco thought he heard a touch of regret in Hermione's voice. But then, he himself had doubts about his decision. He looked over at her and realized that she didn't look sad or regretful; she actually looked somewhat content, hopeful even. It was then that Draco wondered why she had been so eager to leave. She'd had everything he ever thought she could have wanted-- she was at the top of her class, Head Girl, not to mention the fact that this year was N.E.W.T. year, and she would miss them.... "Hey, Granger?" he asked, "Why did you...what made you want to leave Hogwarts?"  
  
Hermione's eyes flew open and she looked over at Draco. He was looking at his hands and wore an expression as if he had just been deep in thought. Sensing her gaze, he looked at her and he seemed merely puzzled, not as though he wanted to annoy or upset her. "Why do you ask?"  
  
Draco shrugged. "It just seemed...unlike you."  
  
Hermione raised an eyebrow. "Did you ever really know what was like me?"  
  
Draco gave a small laugh. "No, not really."  
  
They sat in silence for a moment, listening to the rain fall on the treetops above. Then Hermione spoke, in a voice barely above a whisper, "My parents died in June. It was a car crash on their way home from work. Since I'm not yet of age, muggles put me into foster care. The first family I went to was okay, but they already had foster kids and after a couple weeks I went to another home. They were okay too...but they were moving to a smaller house and couldn't take me. And then the last one was...was not okay." She paused, becoming very interested in a dead leaf next to her on the log. "My foster mother was nice, but her husband, when he came home, was always drunk. He didn't really know who I was. Some nights, he thought I was his wife, sometimes his daughter, home from college. Either way he wasn't...agreeable." She gave a mirthless snort of laughter. Blinking back tears, she said, "I guess on the night we ran away I realized that even Hogwarts didn't feel like a home when I didn't have anywhere to call home outside of it." She sat up on the log and played with a twig in her hands.  
  
Draco looked at her thoughtfully. He never would have guessed that this bookworm know-it-all he had known for seven years was keeping so much bottled up inside her. Then again, he never had cared much for her feelings...Draco felt a stab of guilt as he thought about the times he had been less than friendly towards her. All of the sudden she looked so sad and helpless--she had never been like that before, she was always so confident.  
  
Draco surprised them both when he put a comforting hand on Hermione's shoulder. She looked startled, but smiled when she looked into his eyes. "You know, Malfoy," she said, "you're not at all like you used to be."  
  
"I'm glad to hear it." He said.  
  
Hermione and Draco both realized at that point how close they were to one another. But somehow, this didn't seem awkward, as it once would have. To the contrary, it seemed as though finally something might come from their relationship besides hate. Without even realizing what was happening, the two closed the distance between them until their faces were less than an inch apart. On a sudden impulse, Hermione swiftly moved her hand to the back of Draco's neck and pulled him into a kiss that became passionate very rapidly. Draco slid his tongue easily into Hermione's accepting mouth while she slid her hands smoothly over his chest and around his neck.  
  
The pair slowly leaned back against the tree trunk behind them, still in a heated embrace, when THUD! They slipped off the log and landed in a pile of damp yellow leaves. Both looked around, startled by the sudden fall and still panting slightly. Hermione was the first to break the silence--she burst into a fit of giggles.  
  
Draco looked at her in confusion and then a smile stretched across his face. Hermione had landed on top of Draco and she paused her laughing fit to lean down and kiss him again, briefly.  
  
As the forest around them grew darker and night fell, Hermione and Draco spent their time laughing, talking, kissing, and--for the first time--truly enjoying each other's company.  
  
AN: Sorry it's been so long since I updated. Hope you enjoyed! 


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